The Niagara News is the community newspaper of Niagara College located in Welland and Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, Canada. It is created and produced by the students of the Niagara College Journalism program.

Bittle wants to work with “leaders” to improve local problems

By UTSAV GUPTAStaff Writer“We focus too much on universities and forget Niagara College is doing outstanding work.”Chris Bittle, Liberal MP St. Catharines, met Dan Patterson, president of Niagara College, at the Niagara-on-the-Lake campus, today for an info session and to plan his course of action.“It was a very productive meeting after which I went to meet the Regional Chair. I want to meet as many leaders as possible so that we can work together,” he says.“We’re all in this together and growing in the same direction and I prefer to work with everyone while developing our platform.”Bittle is familiar with the college as he has been a part-time instructor here for “five to six years” and believes it is already part of the region’s economic growth.“It’s good to see all the programs the college is engaged in and how it is helping to develop the local economy.”After thanking residents of St. Catharines for electing him, he says, “We’re just getting to start to work and implement our platform.”Prime Minister-elect Justin Trudeau has nationally put a priority on pushing the “first bill out of the House [of Commons] for the middle class and increase the family benefits for the families that need it most.”“It is going to be our No. 1 job.”Bittle says he is also excited to help alleviate the problems faced by local residents and is looking forward to implementing a few programs to tackle those issues.“Locally, my primary concern is unemployment especially youth unemployment, which hovers between 15 to 20 per cent in Niagara, and that’s unacceptably high.” “We’ve also dedicated $1.3 billion to a youth employment strategy to help create a substantial amount of new jobs over the next three years.”“Primarily, through our infrastructure program, we’re also going to invest in green and high-tech manufacturing.The Liberal MP is waiting to be sworn and “get up to speed. In the meantime, I’m meeting as many people as I can.”Asked to comment on why he beat out his rival in this election, he says, “I’m not going to focus on what my opponent did. I’m concentrating on what people are concerned about in St. Catharines and that is jobs and economy.”“We put forward a clear plan of change and I’m looking forward to get started on that. I’m concentrating on my own leadership style and I love to work with everyone to make St. Catharines and Niagara a better place.”He says he believes people were “fed up with the negativity of the [Conservative’s Stephen] Harper government and the fear of the division. Canadians were tired with it.”“We didn’t attack our opponents. Our promises weren’t eight to 10 years down the road. We’re going to implement our promises right away.”Bittle says he got a call from Ottawa just before the interview informing him “that we’re going to start in December.”He is looking forward to get the legislation in and “get the base going before the New Year.”“I look forward to have that opportunity to meet with everyone and work together. We’re going to change a significant number of policies which we’ve campaigned on.”